How many people on here are member of the CBA?

[Brewedout]

I'm weighing up the the pro's and cons of joining the Craft Brewing Association (not that I can think of any cons apart from the small financial outlay). I'm interested in knowing how many people here are members of the CBA based in the west midlands, and if you are how you value it? PM if you'd prefer not to air thoughts so publicly

Thanks

 

[Aleman]

I am, but not in West mids. The Midlands Craft Brewers is a very active group, with some fine brewers as it's members.

 

[jamesb]

You're the b*%(£y chairman Tony!

I'm a member but my only involvement is reading Brewers Contact.

 

[hairybiker]

Used to be a member, long time ago when it first started, dropped out for a while. Now a member of the SCB (Scottish group, no that I actually get to any meetings can't afford the fuel to Edinburgh for them) and so "affiliated" but miss the old brewers contact mag.

 

[BrotherMalice]

I'm a member but my only involvement is reading Brewers Contact.

Same here

 

[Brewedout]

Thanks for your replies, and your humility Aleman!

I'm a little surprised that there aren't more people saying that they are members (unless of course not midlands based), but I think I'm going to take a look :thumb:

 

[richc]

I am a member, mostly to support the BJCP national as it's one of the few places to get decent feedback on weird and wonderful beers.

 

[Eli_D]

Hey
I'm a member of the Scottish craft brewers association.
I think it's worth the small fee. The setups are great and it's great to have all that experience to tap into.

 

[Vossy1]

I'm a member but my only involvement is reading Brewers Contact.

Ditto.

 

[BeerBloke]

I'm a member, oh and also the Membership Secretary

 

[Dunfie]

Thanks for your replies, and your humility Aleman!

I'm a little surprised that there aren't more people saying that they are members (unless of course not midlands based), but I think I'm going to take a look :thumb:

Don't know if you can make The Spring Thing but we will have some MCB members there. Marmite is the chairman and he is going to be camping for the weekend.

I am a member and also in the SCB.

 

[Swazi]

I'm a member...

 

[Brewedout]

Thanks for your replies, and your humility Aleman!

I'm a little surprised that there aren't more people saying that they are members (unless of course not midlands based), but I think I'm going to take a look :thumb:

Don't know if you can make The Spring Thing but we will have some MCB members there. Marmite is the chairman and he is going to be camping for the weekend.

I am a member and also in the SCB.

I would like to get there but it seems unlikely at the moment due to work and family commitments Is marmite the chair of mcb or the cba?

 

[Aleman]

Allan is chair of the MCBA, yours truly is chair of the CBA, But I would be more than happy to pass that on to sny one else

 

[SweetMoFo]

I was going to join but put off by the web site. It is still anoucing a date and venue for the september 2012 GBA nationals. I would be a member by now if it was up to date and had an events page with the likes of the spring thing on it and no offence ment by this next observatio as I am a very enthusiastic 36 year old brewer, I am not enthused by the pictures, it seems to be just a bunch of men in a pub, where are the brewing pictures? I am an avid listener of basic brewing radio and would love to have a UK brewing scene 10% as good as they do in th US.

Sorry to moan so much but I found this post after almost joining the CBA and also living down south and out of London I feel very brewing isolated. Thank F for the Internet. ;-)

 

[orlando]

I am a member of the shed brewers in East Anglia and understand Sweetmofo's observations. I understand the whole organisation has had a bit of upheaval in the last few years but there are now a number of new faces leading the organisation and I hope it can now reinvent itself and become a force for good in home brewing. Whether it will ever reflect the scene in America that Sweetmofo envies I doubt but hope that it becomes more attractive to younger members who, if they want the changes, have to get involved :hmm: .

The quality of brewers I have met is really inspiring and can really help those brewers that are focused on raising the quality of what they brew, if you don't get involved and help to make it better, then it's an opportunity lost.

 

[bunkerbrewer]

I was going to join but put off by the web site. It is still anoucing a date and venue for the september 2012 GBA nationals. I would be a member by now if it was up to date and had an events page with the likes of the spring thing on it and no offence ment by this next observatio as I am a very enthusiastic 36 year old brewer, I am not enthused by the pictures, it seems to be just a bunch of men in a pub, where are the brewing pictures? I am an avid listener of basic brewing radio and would love to have a UK brewing scene 10% as good as they do in th US.

Sorry to moan so much but I found this post after almost joining the CBA and also living down south and out of London I feel very brewing isolated. Thank F for the Internet. ;-)

Sorry chaps but I have to agree with this - I was left with similar impression of the website. But this stuff takes time and work, and the kind of "scene" they have in the US didn't happen all by itself. Maybe if more of us joined up and volunteered to do things like update the website and write articles, it could gain a bit more presence? :hmm:

 

[Aleman]

(Swap Chairman Hat for Web master hat)

Thanks for the comments on the website, it has been neglected of late. I'd love to promise an all singing all dancing upgrade, but as there are around 2/3 people who actually produce 'events' for the site it is difficult to keep it 'dynamic'

Yes we need more people to get involved.

The Spring Thing is an example of what can be achieved when people do get involved with dynamic ideas and aspirations.

Unfortunately the attitude from a lot of people seems to be "What can the CBA do for me?" when it would be nice if it was more "What can we do for the CBA?". Some local groups (Bristol, LAB and Oxford) do get involved and we have had some great National competitions with the local groups performing the local logistics, but what we intended to do was to have a 2 day conference/social and AGM at the same time as the competiton. This can only happen with local teams doing the logistics, as there is no way the 4 (widely dispersed) members of the committee can get involved to that degree. . . and if they do the event will be organised local to them . . . and never move around the country.

Local groups are out there doing loads of things, and there are more smaller groups appearing, The CBA would love to publicise thier events/work/meetings, but we just don't get told about them.

I am going to attempt to upgrade the website infrastructure in the next couple of weeks and work on a parallel site. To try and at least bring it to some semblance of up to date / remove the out of date stuff, and possibly even put some photos of young people on it

The CBA wants to change (And, no offence chaps, we have removed the 'old guard'), and we would love your help and ideas to do so. The Kerfuffle two years ago was all about "Revolution not Evolution" . . we are now in the place to evolve into the organisation we and you want us to be . . . but it needs environmental influences to drive that evolution . . . otherwise it will stagnate and eventually become extinct.

 

[SweetMoFo]

Wow, I was half expecting to look back at this thread and be slated for my post but the sensible and fair nature of my fellow brewers has shone through. To Aleman, I am so glad to see that someone like you is involved in the CBA and are prepared to listen to the drunken mumbling of a relative newb like me. As for your point about "what can the CBA do for me" I can see your point but before I want to put my time and effort in to somthing I want to feel that it wont be wasted and from the website alone it looks like people don't care enough about wanting new members. Now on the flip side reading your post fills me with the reassurance that the CBA members/staff do care and are an active group and even though at this period of my life with a business to run and a 3 year old I don't feel I could contribute anything to actively help the CBA I will join and I encorouge everyone else who has thaught about joining to join and help out if they can.

As for the website, we are unfortunately at a point in time where virtually everything is done on the Internet and first impressions are so important that until it is updated you will be loosing potential members every day. Perhaps there are people on this forum who could help with posting news and articles as unless you are going to make it your full time job the more contributers the better.

Thanks and good luck
Chris

 

[orlando]

Wow, I was half expecting to look back at this thread and be slated for my post but the sensible and fair nature of my fellow brewers has shone through. To Aleman, I am so glad to see that someone like you is involved in the CBA and are prepared to listen to the drunken mumbling of a relative newb like me. As for your point about "what can the CBA do for me" I can see your point but before I want to put my time and effort in to somthing I want to feel that it wont be wasted and from the website alone it looks like people don't care enough about wanting new members. Now on the flip side reading your post fills me with the reassurance that the CBA members/staff do care and are an active group and even though at this period of my life with a business to run and a 3 year old I don't feel I could contribute anything to actively help the CBA I will join and I encorouge everyone else who has thaught about joining to join and help out if they can.

As for the website, we are unfortunately at a point in time where virtually everything is done on the Internet and first impressions are so important that until it is updated you will be loosing potential members every day. Perhaps there are people on this forum who could help with posting news and articles as unless you are going to make it your full time job the more contributers the better.

Thanks and good luck
Chris

Fair comment.